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Sunday, 9 February 2014

Freemasons

History of the Philalethes Society

Established in 1928, the Philalethes Society is devoted to the promotion
of the highest quality Masonic education and research. It was created
on October 1, 1928, when a small group of Masonic writers gathered at
the Masonic Library at Cedar Rapids, Iowa for a very serious purpose.
They were some of the most renowned Freemasons of their day: Robert I.
Clegg (editor of new editions of Mackey's classics), George H. Imbrie
(editor of Kansas City's Masonic Light), Cyrus Field Willard (formerly of the Boston Globe), Alfred H. Moorhouse (editor of The New England Masonic Craftsman), Henry F. Evans (editor of Denver's Square and Compass, and William C. Rapp (editor of Chicago's Masonic Chronicler).

They gave birth to the Philalethes Society because they recognized that
all Freemasons are charged to spread Masonic Light, but sometimes that
Light can be hard to find. Reflecting upon this problem, founding
president Cyrus Field Willard said:

Those who have been members of the Fraternity for a number of years have
known men who were little more than "good fellows," but because they
were appointed to some minor position by a friend who was Master, they
continued to go "up the line" until eventually they landed in the
Master's chair. And after serving in the office for a year, they had
signally failed "to set the Craft to work and give them instructions
whereby they might pursue their labors." It was the realizing sense of
this that prompted the formation of an association to bring together in
one body the writers who felt that the great mass of Freemasons in the
United States should have more information on the fundamentals of
Freemasonry.

What Does Philalethes Mean?

The Greek word philalêthês (pronounced "fill-a-lay-thayss")
was used by ancient writers such as Aristotle and Plutarch, and means
"a lover of truth." The word came into Masonic circles through
alchemical mystic Robert Samber (1682–1745), who used the pseudonym
Eugenius Philalethes; Samber's use, in turn, was an homage to Thomas
Vaughan, an earlier alchemist who had used the same name. Finally, a
Rite of Philaléthes was founded in Paris in 1772, devoted to the study
of esotericism. Founding President Cyrus Willard wrote in 1937 that the
Philalethes Society took its name from the Parisian Philaléthes.

Early Structure

In the earliest days, the Society described itself as "An International
Body of Masonic Writers." Official membership was limited to forty
Fellows, who were drawn from writers and editors of the many Masonic
newspapers and magazines that existed before the second world war.

Its Fellowship is limited to 40, like the French Academy, but the
Correspondence Circle is unlimited in number. … Its purpose is to bring
together the Masonic writers of the world who seek the Truth in Masonry.

This structure consciously imitated both the Académie Française (in the
limitation of forty Fellows) and the world’s premier lodge of Masonic
research, Quatuor Coronati № 2076 in London, England (in allowing
non-members to participate through an unlimited "Correspondence
Circle"). Members of the Correspondence Circle were also called
"corresponding members."
Today, members of the Correspondence Circle are merely referred to as
"Members." The number of members who are designed Fellows is still
restricted to forty.

Origins of the Journal

In the Society's early days, all of its publications appeared in other,
established Masonic periodicals—many of which were edited by Fellows of
the Society. There was no seperate Philalethes journal.
Many of the Society's earliest publications were issued under the
slogan, "With Rough Ashlar and Tracing Board," and under the motto,
"There is No Religion Higher than Truth." Both of these maxims reflect
the viewpoint that Freemasonry is a serious and deeply personal quest
for Truth and Light.

Unfortunately, the Great Depression took a toll on many of the Masonic
periodicals, and after that the hardships of World War Two caused nearly
all of them to fold. It was only after the war ended that the
Philalethes Society was able to release the first issue of Philalethes. The first issue, dated March, 1946, was edited by Walter A. Quincke fps.
Philalethes: The Review of Masonic Research and Letters has long served as the de facto magazine for North American Freemasonry.

The Tradition Continues

It was the intention of the founders that the Philalethes Socety would
effectively serve the needs of those in search of deeper insight into
the history, rituals and symbolism of Freemasonry.

Today, our mission is much the same as when we began nearly a century
ago. A new generation of Freemasons is in search of Masonic Light. Not
satisfied with simplistic answers, they ask for new ideas, more
information, deeper engagement, expanded fraternal contact, and a more
profound exploration of the meaning of the Craft. The members of the Philalethes Society are united in that quest for knowledge.